Treasures saved from past jobs spark memories of a scientist, a porn star, The Pet Shop Boys, The Partridge Family, and long-lost websites

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Man, do we ever spend a lot of time at work. That's one reason why I felt compelled to save things from the places I worked, to remind me how I spent so much of my time.

I always suspected that I wasn't the only one who did this. And now, I have proof.

Four friends -- who worked at various offices with me -- agreed to join in a little Swedish Death Cleaning, to decide what we should do with the treasures we saved.

The result: Some plot twists that I never would have predicted.

For instance, journalist Alan Carter, who worked with me at People Magazine, had forgotten that he reported a story about a 2007 porn convention. But the memories came back when he uncovered a pile of press badges, including his porn credentials. Suddenly, Alan remembered having a long chat with Stormy Daniels. Did he imagine she'd become famous world-wide? No. Was he wrong? Yes. And that's why it pays to save things.

Then there's former website manager Brett Mickelson – who now owns a Boston-area skydiving company called Boston Sky Dive Center. Brett brought out a photo of Carl Sagan, previously on display in the office that he used to share with me at NBC News. Why Carl Sagan? Well, only Brett can explain. But this prompted me to enlist a surprise guest who also loved Carl, but in a different way.

Unlike Brett and Alan, graphic designer Berndt Abeck – who worked with me on a redesign of Rolling Stone's website -- didn't save little things from work. Berndt saved only huge things. Specifically, massive 6-foot paintings of 1990s album covers for British new-wave bands, which are still on the walls of his San Francisco design firm Abeck Inc. Now that's what you call commitment to your savings.

Another graphic designer, Stella Anastasia, who worked with me at Entertainment Weekly's website, is now making greeting cards you can eat, with her New York company Tart Break. Clearly, Stella's got the genetics of a saver. She actually saved print-outs of all the website designs she created in the 1990s, depicting search engines and ancient technology that is now long gone. It's Internet history that would have been lost, if Stella hadn't kept it for future generations. Go, Stella!

Last of all, I decided to revisit an awkward gift from my days as a People Magazine reporter. The giver -- Marty Ingels -- was a well-known comedian. Plus, his wife actress/singer Shirley Jones – who starred in movie musicals like Oklahoma and Carousel and later became the mom on 1970s TV series The Partridge Family – was a kind of superstar. But – considering that you probably haven't heard of either of them – let this be a lesson. Fame is fleeting. Unless, of course, you give a gift to me. Then I'll make a podcast episode about it, and you'll live forever!

If you've got stuff you saved from work, dig it out! Share the memories with your own friends, and put your treasures on display. Or maybe – do better than we did – and throw them out?

Stormy Daniels photo: Lukeisback.com, CC BY-SA 2.5,

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Nic Cage delivers another explosive performance in the new movie "The Surfer." But the actor I interviewed was somebody else.

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When I talked with Nicolas Cage on the phone for an hour in 1994, he already had a bit of a reputation for going ballistic in movies. Just the crazed cockroach-eating scene in Vampire's Kiss was enough to give a guy a reputation.

But lo and behold, he told me a lot of things I didn't expect. For starters, he's very shy off-screen and he felt like a reject in high school. Plus, he was reading Henry Miller and Rimbaud, enjoying Wagner's music, and – despite the plot of his new film "The Surfer" – he tried surfing and felt it was too difficult.

Cage's filmography is so huge – about 124 movies so far – that I couldn't absorb it all. So it's lucky I got help from Ty Burr – the former culture critic for the Boston Globe (where he was a finalist for a Pulitzer) and author of several books about movies. Ty now writes the terrific movie newsletter Ty Burr's Watch List.

During the episode, Ty lists all the Cage movies you'll want to stream, and the ones you can avoid. Very useful!

After I found and listened again to my 1994 interview with Nic – which I had completely forgotten -- I decided to rewatch three of his movies from that year. One was very fun and worth watching (Guarding Tess with Shirley McLaine). Two were, for me, barely watchable (Trapped in Paradise with with Jon Lovitz and Dana Carvey and It Could Happen To You with Bridget Fonda).

Nic's fourth 1994 movie Red Rock West – which I loved when I saw it back then – isn't streaming anywhere. Injustice! But I remember it well enough to confirm a highlight of all these films: Nic Cage's performance. I discovered that I'm a major Cage fan. And that's the beauty of saving things. When you got back to them, you learn something new.

The real surprise in this episode: I take that old cassette tape in my hand, and I do something I'm supposed to do in every episode – and never do. I guess Nic Cage gave me the inspiration to go a little crazy. In a good way, of course. Maybe he'll do the same for you?

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Hear my never-shared 1995 talk with Jimmy Page and Robert Plant about their music, books, diets, girlfriends, hair loss, Led Zeppelin myths, and their Unledded reunion

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If you find it hard to visualize Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page and Robert Plant in a People Magazine article, I’m with you. The People article I reported and wrote about them in 1995 was never published. So the cassette tapes of my interview went into a box, like a heavy metal time capsule.

Until now. When I saw the rave reviews for the 2025 documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin – about the early career of the band –- I dug out everything I had saved from my canceled story, and I’m sharing it with you now.

In 1994, Page and Plant had reunited after a 14-year hiatus to record an unplugged session for MTV. This resulted in an album called No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded. Then they went on a 1995 U.S. and European tour, performing some new songs and several Led Zeppelin songs that had been re-conceived with an orchestra, a team of Egyptian musicians, some young rockers, and a hurdy gurdy player.

The project raised some questions: Why did they wait 14 years after the death of drummer John Bonham to reunite? Why was bass and keyboard player John Paul Jones not included? Would they still live out the wild myths of rock’n’roll excess that supposedly took place in their heyday?

Because this assignment was for People Magazine, I also had the courage to broach the truly vital issues: what they ate for lunch, who they lived with, what they read, and how they kept in shape.

The big belated surprise: Because Led Zeppelin's music was ubiquitous for my whole life, I viewed them as a cliché. But, after hearing my tapes again and listening to their music, I finally get what many of my high school classmates knew back in the 1970s. And I understand why Page and Plant are among the bestselling artists of all time, nearly up there with the Beatles and Michael Jackson.

It’s because they're extremely smart and talented, and they're amazing musicians. I now hear the technical difficulty and the perfectionism in their performances. They aren't dinosaurs of rock. They're innovators, who invented something new and powerful.

Joined by Led Zeppelin aficionado George Meyer – who also happens to be my friend and a renowned TV, movie, magazine, and theater writer – I revisited everything I saved from my ill-fated story and determined what I could throw out. Yes, some things got tossed. But you can see what I saved at: throwitoutpodcast.com

After all these years, I hope you enjoy hearing these lost interviews.

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More info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com
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